×

Cantalamessa, Hernandez for Trumbull commissioners

One way or another, change is coming to the Trumbull County Board of Commissioners with the general election Tuesday.

The only question is whether voters want two new faces, two familiar faces or one of each.

One race features incumbent commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa, a Democrat, against Republican Tony Bernard and the other pits former Commissioner Dan Polivka, a Democrat, against Republican challenger Rick Hernandez.

The newspaper’s editorial board has decided to go with some change in endorsing Hernandez and some consistency in endorsing Cantalamessa.

Polivka is bidding to make a return as a commissioner after he was defeated by Republican Niki Frenchko in 2020. Hernandez defeated Frenchko in the March GOP primary. He told the newspaper’s editorial board that the board of commissioners was operating well during his time in office. He wants another chance to continue what he said was solid business development, particularly during the last two years of his term.

Cantalamessa has been a commissioner since 2014. Bernard, like Polivka, is a former commissioner seeking to return to office. The 77-year-old Vietnam veteran has owned Bernard’s Garden for 30 years. He was elected to a commissioner’s seat when he was 27 and served one term.

Bernard told this newspaper’s editorial board that he wants to return “dignity, respect and a sense of maturity” to the board of commissioners. He cited the board’s raucous meetings over the last few years.

We agree that the commissioners’ attention has often been diverted away from the business at hand by personal and political squabbles. That needs to stop. There is still a civil lawsuit filed by Frenchko against Cantalamessa, former commissioner Frank Fuda and Sheriff Paul Monroe. The suit follows Frenchko’s 2022 arrest during a commissioners meeting. The charge against her was dropped, but a federal judge ruled that the arrest was a violation of Frenchko’s civil rights.

But beyond the in-house drama, there are other concerns, such as budgeting, now that American Rescue Plan money will no longer be part of the equation, and the ongoing need for affordable housing and broadband access in the county. Public transportation also has been a hot-button issue for the commissioners.

There is a distinct possibility, based on the feelings of Trumbull County voters, that the three-member board of commissioners could be widely different in January. If Bernard and Hernandez win their races, the board would feature only one commissioner — Denny Malloy — with any experience in the office this century. Bernard last served in the 1970s and Hernandez would be moving from his role as a Hubbard Township trustee to become a first-time commissioner. That would leave Malloy — with two years on the job — as the commissioner with the most recent experience.

Cantalamessa and Polivka would provide more. Both, like Bernard and Hernandez, have been businessmen in the community for a number of years. So has Hernandez. Polivka has served on Warren City Council and as a commissioner.

Hernandez brings a fresh approach, including his idea about improving and expanding public transportation, which currently serves mostly Warren and Niles.

“We can’t even utilize these services in Mecca, in Hartford, in Brookfield and in Kinsman,” he said. “Yes, we need public transportation in our major metro areas. What we can do is offer Uber-type transportation. It is happening in other communities.”

Hernandez cited a similar program in Delaware County, north of Columbus. He wants to explore a county-sponsored Uber- or Lyft-type service with prospective passengers calling for individual rides. He said such a program would open the service to all Trumbull County residents.

Cantalamessa said the county faces challenges, but chief among them is the lack of affordable housing.

“We need housing in Trumbull County. That’s something we absolutely need,” he said. “But not just any housing. We need housing for these individuals that are going to come work at Kimberly-Clark and at the battery plant. We need affordable housing.”

We hope that the next group of commissioners can come together to find workable solutions to the issues of budgeting, broadband access, public transportation and housing, as well as other challenges facing Trumbull County.

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today